Today is the 225th Anniversary of the U.S. Constitution

The U.S. Constitution has been held up as the greatest document for freedom and liberty that has ever been written and adopted by any nation.

On September 17, 1787 the delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia adopted the document that was to become the supreme law of the land, the Constitution of the United States of America. This month is the 225th anniversary of that event in which Maryland played a significant role. Maryland is the only one of the original thirteen states to still have its original copy of the Constitution which is located at the Maryland State Archives.

Annapolis was the site of the earlier Annapolis Convention which met from September 11th to the 14th, 1786. Its primary purpose was to work out trade disagreements between the various states and Potomac River disputes between Maryland and Virginia. Maryland's delegates did not even attend the meetings held at Mann's Tavern off of Conduit Street. The primary outcome however was to call for a new convention to completely overhaul the American government then operating under the Articles of Confederation which were not effectively working.

Fifty-five delegates from the several states met in Philadelphia from May 25th to September 17th, 1787 at what became the Constitutional Convention or "The Miracle at Philadelphia." Maryland sent five delegates: James McHenry of Baltimore City; Daniel of St. Thomas Jennifer of Charles County; Daniel Carroll of Montgomery County; John Francis Mercer of Anne Arundel County; and Luther Martin of Baltimore City.

The work was completed in only four months and signed by the delegates on September 17th 1787. It was then sent to the various states for their ratification. This was a slow process, ratified first by Delaware on
December 7, 1787, then Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, Connecticut, and Massachusetts by February of 1788. On April 28, 1788, the Maryland Convention approved the Constitution by a vote of 63 to 11. Maryland's ratification pushed the number of states over the halfway point encouraging the others to ratify. South Carolina's ratification in May and New Hampshire's in June brought the number to the required nine to become effective. Virginia and New York signed by July, 1788, but Rhode Island did not sign until May 1790 a year after George Washington had become President on April 29, 1789. They were not even able to vote in the first presidential election.

Maryland's all important role in the ratification of the Constitution was celebrated in 1788 by the people and merchants of Baltimore with a huge parade, the centerpiece of which was a beautiful 15-foot ship called the
Federalist. The tiny vessel, a symbol of hope for the new nation's future, set sail upon announcement of Maryland's ratification of the Constitution.

Following a series of victory sails through the period of final adoption of the Constitution, the original ship was presented to George Washington as a gift from Maryland businessmen. In early June 1788 it was sailed down the Chesapeake Bay and up the Potomac River to Mount Vernon by Captain Joshua Barney, Maryland's own colorful naval hero, known for his daring exploits during the Revolution and the War of 1812. Unfortunately, the Federalist sank at Mt. Vernon in a hurricane only six weeks later, never to be
retrieved.

A new Federalist was built 25-years ago for the Constitution's 200th anniversary with christening and launching ceremonies held on Saturday, June 13, 1987 at the Annapolis City Dock.

The new Federalist made its debut at the National Bicentennial Parade in Philadelphia on a wagon pulled by horses as it appeared in 1788 in the Baltimore parade. Over these past 25-years it has appeared at many events and will have been seen in the State House Rotunda, at BWI Marshall Airport, Mount Vernon, and at various fairs, boat shows, and public schools.

The Constitution has protected us for these 225 years, but it constantly needs our protection as well.